1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to portable stands and, more particularly, to stands for supporting laptop computers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Stands for laptops are well known in the art, including stands that are foldable or collapsible into a compact state for storage purposes.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,758 discloses a folding stand having two parallel supports joined by a folding brace for supporting a notebook computer, The folding brace includes two bracing bars pivotably joined by a link and pivotably connected between the supports. The supports have a respective sloping top wall for supporting the notebook computer in a tilted position for comfortable operation and an elongated bottom opening for receiving one bracing bar when the folding brace is folded up to collapse the stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,135 discloses a foldable one-piece tablet stand having a base section, a back rest section which can be raised and lowered into the base section, and a pair of protrusions which can be raised and lowered into the base and disposed at a front part of the base section so that when both the back rest section and protrusions are in the raised conditions, a tablet will be held by the back rest section with a bottom of the tablet held by the base section and secured by the pair of protrusions. A holder section is foldable into the base section and hinged on the back of the back rest section and held on parts of the base section so that the back rest section is fixed thereby.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,661 discloses a collapsible desk stand for a portable computer for allowing variation in viewing angles of the computer display, and the ability to connect the portable computer to external, peripheral devices. The portable computer can be positioned on the stand so that both right-handed and left-handed persons can position the portable computer so that data entry is most convenient. The stand includes a feature to allow it to be locked in its collapsed position. An adjustable handstrap assembly is also provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,787 discloses a portable stand for holding a laptop computer, which is capable of folding to a compact state for storage purposes. The portable stand includes an elongated base member with a pair of base feet to rest on a floor surface, a set of vertically extending post members, and an elongated platform member with a pair of support wings to hold the laptop computer in a position ready for use. The base feet are moveably attached to the elongated base member to swing from a compact position juxtaposed the base member to an extended position at substantially right angles to the base member. The post members are moveably attached to one another, moveably attached to the elongated base member, and moveably attached to the elongated platform member. The base feet and the support wings swing substantially horizontally from the base member and the support member, respectively, while the post members swing substantially vertically relative to one another and to the elongated base and support members.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,797 discloses a laptop computer stand adapted to be mounted on a chair or similar vertical structure that includes a horizontal edge. A hanging frame assembly includes a pivotally mounted arched arm at one end that receives the edge of a chair in one extreme position and is retractable within the hanging frame assembly in the other extreme position. The hanging frame assembly is pivotally mounted to the base frame assembly that receives the hanging frame assembly therein is one extreme position and at a substantially rectangular relationship with the hanging frame assembly in the other extreme position. A pivotally mounted leg member is used to raise the base frame assembly to a predetermined angle in one extreme position, and as a spacer in another position while the other extreme position the leg member is housed with the hanging frame space. A retainer member pivotally mounted flange is mounted to the distal end of the base frame assembly to serve as a stopper for a laptop to prevent it from sliding down.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,545,864 discloses a notebook computer stand for a notebook computer, having a U-shaped pocket and a support. The U-shaped pocket receives the relatively thicker frame portion of the notebook computer housing the keyboard, the CPU, the mouse, and related hardware. The notebook computers hinged display is deployed above the pocket for ease of viewing. In one embodiment, the notebook computer stand includes a storage compartment, cable slots for routing cables connected to the notebook computer, and height adjusters for varying the height of the computer stand and, indirectly, the viewing angle of the display.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,040 discloses a stand for supporting a laptop computer at different tilt angles. According to one embodiment, a top plate is included having a trapezoidal shape including a number of riser clusters arranged along a narrower parallel side of the top plate. Each one of the riser clusters may be configured to fit within a riser element and hold the riser element. A bottom plate with a trapezoidal shape may be connected to the top plate by a connector that allows the top plate to rotate relative to the bottom plate. A number of laptop supports may be connected to a wider parallel side of the top plate and configured to support one end of the laptop in a slip-resistant manner. At least two riser elements may be stacked respectively on at least two riser clusters. At least two riser caps may be stacked respectively over the at least two riser elements to support an opposite end of the laptop in a slip-resistant resistant manner and at an elevation higher than the one end of the laptop. A variable tilt angle may be imparted by adding or removing riser elements from the stacks to vary convective cooling of the laptop and keyboard tilt.